How we felt about Dubai, What's happening in Miami, & Deon Rubi is feeling romantic
A recap of Design Week in Dubai, A brief Miami round-up, Deon Rubi's new exhibition in Argentina, and the Groucho mystery is solved.
Hello Friends,
It’s been an exhausting month, and I’m here playing catch-up after spending an ungodly amount of time finishing a 90-page dissertation on Christie’s South Kensington to wrap up my design history degree. I decided to study at Sotheby’s Institute London 14 months ago to give myself a year to reacquaint myself with the city where my parents lived when they married. Now that I’ve committed to staying longer, I can confidently say the decision was worth it. London feels like home. Sotheby’s, on the other hand... I have many thoughts (ask me when you see me 👀), some good, some meh. I thought this experience might take my career in a new, potentially academic direction, but I realized that TDR needed my full attention — not side-hustle attention. Now that my academic journey has come to a close, Leo and I will be reviving TDR Agency. We’re wrapping up two major website designs and launches, and helping designers plan their next moves. I hope to share more with you soon.
As I mentioned last month, I had the opportunity to visit Dubai on a press trip to experience their annual Design Week (a huge thank you to The Crosses). It was an intriguing experience that I wrote about here, and the takeaway is that I believe the trade show, Downtown Dubai, offers a fantastic opportunity for designers aiming to expand into the region. The show itself was awesome — well-curated and well-attended.
I spoke with several returning exhibitors who shared that the event has been fantastic for their business and now constitutes their main marketing investment. That said, it’s worth noting that presenting at a trade show once isn’t a shortcut to instant success; it requires a long-term commitment (unless, of course, it turns into a nightmare).
The city itself reminded me a bit of Miami — though without its edge or charm — but our press tour guides took us to the most delightful restaurants, and I discovered that there is plenty of charm to be found in Dubai beneath the surface. We dined fabulously, enjoyed a surreal architecture tour (a true highlight), met brilliant locals, and explored the emerging design scene. From what I saw, it features a playful aesthetic that thoughtfully pays homage to traditional craftsmanship.
I also created a round-up of my favorite finds, presented as an interior design layout, which you can see below. This will be published on TDR In-Sites before the end of the week where you can discover something new.
Keep reading for more, and:
In this issue:
News News News 🚨
Miami 🌴
Exhibition of the month 🇦🇷
News News News
A dark place to start, but the Groucho mystery is solved. Unrealated but I still can’t figure out why Hauser & Wirth didn’t fix up the place (I was briefly a member and it was pretty seedy and not in a chic way). BBC
BOF investigates Dior’s (other luxury brands) links to sweatshops.
The WSA building is doing the most, at a potential loss of millions, to attract cool kids to the building. NYT
Jeff Koon’s New Hoover Celebrity IV sells for US $5,132,000 with fees, above its estimated $3.5M. Christie’s
Friend of TDR Ryan Waddoups has left Surface and is now deputy editor at Galerie Magazine! Congratulations Ryan, we hope you love it and we hope your inbox stays manageable for at least a month. 🥂
Miami etc
I know you all are in Miami being little social butterflies and yes I am jealous! But my creaky knees only allow for one 8-hour flight quarterly. Until I am flying business I am only visiting fairs where I happen to be standing. Anyways, It’s nice to see how many pals are partaking in this year’s Design Miami, which is becoming such a machine with its now three-annual fairs, an expansion I can’t really wrap my head around.
I have here a handful of exhibitions and launches I would be seeing if I were there, but since information is still trickling out, please keep an eye on our calendar for new event additions.
First off, I am thrilled to see that Nader Gammas is presenting his newest collection of organic works at Design Miami. Nader is a true genius, and his inspiration comes from deeply embedded experiences of his upbringing in the Middle East, as well insecta and reptiles. I have been waiting years for people to discover his work, and a solo-curio at Design Miami is the perfect launch for him. A big congratulations to him.
I’m very happy to see that Alcova is back for their second year, this time taking over River Inn, the city’s oldest hotel (last year they took over a motel - a fun context against their ultra-contemporary design).
Within Alcova, friends of TDR L&G studio present Invento Sprit, a show organized in collaboration with Danni Friedman, a celebration of Cuban’s ingenious approaches to problem solving in the face of scarcity - often referred to as “invento”.
Among many other beautiful works by Jean Royere, Galerie Patrick Seguin will present Royere’s wall-mounted Bouquet lamps and a privately commissioned 1962 dressing table at Design Miami.
FUMI always curates the best booths, and also at Design Miami they will feature some of my favorite designers like Casey McCafferty, Max Lamb, Jeremy Anderson, and Charlotte Kingsnorth. Below is Charlotte’s freakishly cool desk and chair set crafted from lacewood, and hand-painted leather, that will be on view tomorrow.
Exhibition of the Month: Acero Inolvidable by Deon Rubi
Artist-designer Deon Rubi splits her time between Buenos Aires and Miami. I first discovered her when she was collaborating with Jessica Martin on a project called NUN (read more about them here), showcased at one of my favorite now-defunct satellite exhibitions in Miami around 2015. Their designs were pioneers of a movement I used to call "post-recession Brooklyn lumpy," which was exploding in Brooklyn alongside studios like Bower, who arguably kickstarted millennial pink. (And that is my version of design history.)
But I digress — Deon has been refining her industrial aesthetic, now infused with a touch of femininity through her latest exploration of love and its complexities. In her second solo show, taking place in Buenos Aires, Deon delves into the iconic symbol of the heart, presenting metallic artifacts — chairs, lamps, and sculptures — that reflect her unique discipline. With influences from her six-month archery training, these pieces combine chromatic austerity to reframe love as both a powerful force and a response to the disposability of human connections in a fragmented world.
Thank you for reading to the end of our December newsletter!
As we ramp things up at TDR we would love to connect with potential supporters who can help us grow our newsletters and editorial content. If you are a like-minded company or individual with exciting launches, or a gallery looking to publish a deeper dive on an upcoming show, please get in touch, we would love to work with you. You can reach me at julia@thedesignrelease.com.
Big hug,
Julia (and hello from Leo and Zack)